Systems and methods for identifying unauthorized vehicle use

Abstract

Various arrangements for monitoring the unauthorized use of a vehicle are presented. An in-space parking sensor may be used to detect whether a vehicle is present. Data may be obtained indicating that a particular vehicle parking in the parking space that has the in-space parking sensor. A vehicle departure from the parking space may be detected. A determination may be made that departure of the particular vehicle has occurred during the time period. A notification may be output based on determining that the vehicle departure has occurred.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A system for monitoring use of a vehicle, the system comprising:
 an in-space parking sensor device, comprising:
 a housing configured to be placed in a parking space; 
 a radio transceiver housed by the housing, 
 a vehicle sensor, housed by the housing, for detecting a presence of the vehicle within the parking space; and 
 one or more processors that are in communication with the radio transceiver and the vehicle sensor, wherein the one or more processors are configured to:
 analyze sensor data received from the vehicle sensor; and 
 transmit, to a server system via the radio transceiver, parking data indicative of a vehicle departure of the vehicle from the parking space based on the analyzed sensor data; and 
 
 
 the server system configured to:
 receive an indication of a time period during which a particular vehicle is expected to be parked; 
 store the indication of the time period mapped to the particular vehicle; 
 receive data indicative that the particular vehicle has parked in the parking space in which the in-space parking sensor device is present; 
 receive, from the in-space parking sensor device, the parking data indicative of the vehicle departure from the parking space; 
 determine, based on the parking data and the data indicative that the particular vehicle has parked in the parking space, that the particular vehicle departed the parking space during the time period; and 
 output a notification based on the particular vehicle having departed the parking space during the time period. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The system for monitoring use of the vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the data indicative of the vehicle departure comprises a parking sensor device identifier and the server system is further configured to:
 determine the parking space from which the vehicle departure occurred based at least in part on the parking sensor device identifier. 
 
     
     
       3. The system for monitoring use of the vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the server system is further configured to:
 output the notification to a user mapped to the particular vehicle. 
 
     
     
       4. The system for monitoring use of the vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the server system is further configured to:
 output an alarm indication in response to the particular vehicle having departed the parking space during the time period to an administrator. 
 
     
     
       5. The system for monitoring use of the vehicle of  claim 4 , wherein the server system is further configured to:
 wait a period of time after outputting the notification to determine if a response is received in response to the notification that indicates a false alarm, wherein the alarm indication is output if no response indicating the false alarm is received. 
 
     
     
       6. The system for monitoring use of the vehicle of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 an in-vehicle wireless communication device configured to:
 receive a request from the in-space parking sensor device; and 
 in response to the request, transmit a vehicle identifier to the in-space parking sensor device, wherein:
 the indication that the particular vehicle has parked in the parking space in which the in-space parking sensor device is present is transmitted by the in-space parking sensor device. 
 
 
 
     
     
       7. The system for monitoring use of the vehicle of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 an in-vehicle wireless communication device configured to:
 receive a parking space identifier from the in-space parking sensor device; and 
 transmit a vehicle identifier and the parking space identifier to the server system. 
 
 
     
     
       8. The system for monitoring use of the vehicle of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a communication gateway, comprising:
 a first communication interface that communicates with a plurality of in-space parking sensor devices that comprises the in-space parking sensor device; and 
 a second communication interface that communicates with the server system. 
 
 
     
     
       9. The system for monitoring use of the vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the server system is further configured to:
 output the notification of the vehicle departure to a driver mobile device mapped to the vehicle. 
 
     
     
       10. The system for monitoring use of the vehicle of  claim 1  wherein the vehicle sensor of the in-space parking sensor device is a magnetometer. 
     
     
       11. A method for monitoring use of a vehicle, the method comprising:
 receiving, by a server system, an indication of a time period during which a particular vehicle is expected to be within a parking space; 
 storing, by the server system, the indication of the time period mapped to the particular vehicle; 
 receiving, by the server system, data indicating that the particular vehicle has parked in the parking space; 
 determining, based on data obtained from a parking sensor, that a vehicle departure from the parking space has occurred; 
 determining, by the server system, based on the data obtained from the parking sensor and the data indicative that the particular vehicle has parked in the parking space, that the particular vehicle departed the parking space during the time period; and 
 outputting, by the server system, a notification based on the particular vehicle having departed the parking space during the time period. 
 
     
     
       12. The method for monitoring use of the vehicle of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 determining, by the server system, the parking space from which the vehicle departure occurred based at least in part on a parking sensor device identifier. 
 
     
     
       13. The method for monitoring use of the vehicle of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 receiving, by an in-vehicle wireless communication device, a request from an in-space parking sensor device; and 
 in response to the request, transmitting, by the in-vehicle wireless communication device, a vehicle identifier to the in-space parking sensor device, wherein the indication that the particular vehicle has parked in the parking space is transmitted by the in-space parking sensor device to the server system. 
 
     
     
       14. The method for monitoring use of the vehicle of  claim 11 , wherein the notification is output to a user mapped to the particular vehicle. 
     
     
       15. The method for monitoring use of the vehicle of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 outputting, by the server system an alarm indication in response to the particular vehicle having departed the parking space during the time period to an administrator. 
 
     
     
       16. The method for monitoring use of the vehicle of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 waiting, by the server system, a period of time after outputting the notification to determine if a response is received in response to the notification that indicates a false alarm, wherein the alarm indication is output if no response indicating the false alarm is received. 
 
     
     
       17. A non-transitory processor-readable medium comprising processor-readable instructions configured to cause one or more processors to:
 receive an indication of a time period during which a particular vehicle is expected to be within a parking space; 
 store the indication of the time period mapped to the particular vehicle; 
 receive data indicating that the particular vehicle has parked in the parking space in which an in-space parking sensor device is present; 
 receive, from the in-space parking sensor device, parking data indicative of a vehicle departure from the parking space; 
 determine, based on the parking data and the data indicating that the particular vehicle has parked in the parking space, that the particular vehicle departed the parking space during the time period; and 
 output a notification based on the particular vehicle having departed the parking space during the time period. 
 
     
     
       18. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of  claim 17 , wherein the notification is transmitted to a driver mobile device mapped to the particular vehicle. 
     
     
       19. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of  claim 17 , wherein the processor-readable instructions are further configured to cause the one or more processors to:
 output an alarm indication in response to the particular vehicle having departed the parking space during the time period to an administrator. 
 
     
     
       20. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of  claim 19 , wherein the processor-readable instructions are further configured to cause the one or more processors to:
 wait a period of time after outputting the notification to determine if a response is received in response to the notification that indicates a false alarm, wherein the alarm indication is output if no response indicating the false alarm is received.